Today my 78-year-old mother got back on a bike for the first time in around 15 years. She had a bit of the wobblies at first but settled into it pretty quickly. Nice and flat, car-free side streets around her house, and I lowered the seat on her old Humber 3-speed so she can put her feet down easily (insert 'granny bike' pun here).
Ok, I'm a little nervous for her, since she didn't really ride much as a kid. But this is the same woman who started playing the cello at age 57, so I'm sure she'll be fine. It'll be good for her hip that's gotten a little funky.
Still, keep it in first gear for a while, mom.
this is fantastic. It is ashame that we tend to forget that cycling is something that can be done at any stage of your life, that it can be done safely, and that it can actually improve the health of the elderly. I remember seeing an OLD old man in Beijing riding around with his (equally old) wife sitting with her legs slung over the side of the rear rack just holding on to his waist...a much better alternative to the motorized scooters!
ReplyDeleteRight. I was in a little village in western Romania a couple years ago, the one main street was mostly traversed by bike, by young and old. Fortunately it's in the flat part of Romania :).
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